Roy Rogers - The Cincinnati Hometown Hero

Candidate for Ohio State Senate, 9th District, Orlando B. Sonza Jr., will speak at EmpowerU on why he’s running for state office, how he plans to win this race, and give you an update on his campaign. If you live or know someone who lives in the 9th district and hasn’t met Orlando, this is your chance.
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Leonard Franklin Slye, famously known as Roy Rogers and the man who would become known to the world as the “King of the Cowboys” was born to Andrew & Mattie (Womack) Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1911.His family lived in a tenement building on 2nd Street in downtown Cincinnati. When he was just a year old, his family moved to Portsmouth, Ohio on a houseboat and Leonard spent his formative years in Portsmouth, Ohio. Leonard attended McDermott High School until his sophomore year when his family moved back to Cincinnati, where his father worked in a shoe factory.

He was an American cowboy actor and singer who glorified the cowboy era in Hollywood with his charming singing and action-packed acting. For many Americans and people throughout the world, he was the embodiment of the all-American hero. Rogers’ humble background and the financial adversities that he faced when he was young did not stop him from becoming a matinee sensation and an American legend; From 1939-1954, he made it to the Motion Picture Heralds’ Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars Poll and was listed in it for 15 years at a stretch. In the early 1970s, he sold the rights to his name to the Marriott corporation and they used his name, which represented his stature, popularity and fan following, to convert their Hot Shoppes locations to ‘Roy Rogers Restaurants’.

For his brilliant contribution to the Hollywood cinema and glorifying the cowboy era, Rogers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, second star for his singing and contribution to the radio and third star for his contribution to the television. But Roy Rogers was more than just a cowboy movie star, he was a father, a philanthropist and an overall good guy.
Recorded November 3rd, 2022.
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